If you like rock and roll music then you probably have some favourite guitar players from over the years. And even if you you are not a big rock and roll fan, you could be familier with the names I'm going to mention.
But I bet you did not realize that you won't have heard about any of them without the discovery of the electric guitar. In reality rock and roll might not even exist if guitars weren't invented that would play at the volume and with the sound that we've all come to grasp and love. The invention of the electrical guitar was really an invention that modified music forever. Here's how...
The Start of Electrical Guitar
The electric guitar as we understand it today has not truly been around all that long. There were early designs in the 1920's and 30's, and Gibson offered a available electric guitar in 1936. But none actually caught on in any large way.
Although you might find electrified guitars back then, they weren't that effective in a band setting because they were based on hollow-body arch top guitars. If you attempted to turn them up they inclined to feed back and make a hollering noise. That's the reason why they were for the most part utilized for rhythm and rarely may be loud enough to take leads in a large band setting.
And early guitars had an uneven sound with some strings being louder than others. In general, the electric guitar was not ready for prime time. And it actually was not prepared for Rock and Roll.
Leo Fender changed all that.
Leo Fender was the inventor of the first commercially available solid body electrical guitar. With the solid body electric, players could ultimately turn the instrument up loud enough to chop through a complete band. Leo radically modified music, and the rock and roll of the 50's and 60's may not have occurred without him. It certainly would have sounded very different.
And the first solid body electric guitars were radically different than what had come before. They seemed like creatures from another planet compared against run-of-the-mill guitars of the time. Most guitars of the 30's and 40's looked like a typical acoustic guitar with a gigantic, hollow body and had a typical acoustic sound you'd be expecting. It was a beautiful sound but only acceptable for particular types of music.
When Leo Fender invented the Broadcaster guitar in 1951, which would soon be called a Telecaster due to trademark issues, it was totally different than the rest around. It was angled with a completely new shape and only about 2 inches deep with 2 specifically designed mics, called pickups, that caught the sound of the strings. It was light but really compact yet still had a solid piece of wood that resonated with a very, well, solid sound. It had been a complete paradigm shift from other guitars.
Inside a couple of years, Gibson Guitars popped up with their own solid-body guitar, the Les Paul. It was based on a discovery by jazz guitar player Les Paul who also had been working on a solid body electrical guitar personally. Some even say he was the 1st inventor of a solid body electric, and that may be true, but it was not largely popular till a bit later on.
Guitar Amplifiers Were A Big Factor Too
Although the guitar could now be played loudly it needed to be amplified. Many of those early guitar amplifiers came from Fender as well , but Gibson and others offered them as well. Many of those early amps are prized by collectors and guitarists for their unique and pleasing sounds.
And the amplifier itself had a big effect on the sound too. You can actually say the sound of the electrical guitar was a marriage between the guitar and the amp used. The amp changed the sound that was produced and when turned up loudly created a distortion that was quite pleasing to guitarists. Early blues guitarists and later rock and roll guitarist sought that unique sound. This sound was something that was wholly new to music and spawned that early blues and rock and roll sound we came to enjoy in the 1950's.
At last, players like Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townsend of The Who used this distortion to extraordinary levels to form the sound of the 60's and hallucinogenic music. Amps had gotten louder and the sound was more varied than previously. The 1960's really was the decade when the electrical guitar and amplification evolved to the point at which it still is today.
And it began with Leo Fender and his invention, the solid-body electrical guitar. Blues guitarists and rock and roll guitarists alike, owe it all to Leo.
But I bet you did not realize that you won't have heard about any of them without the discovery of the electric guitar. In reality rock and roll might not even exist if guitars weren't invented that would play at the volume and with the sound that we've all come to grasp and love. The invention of the electrical guitar was really an invention that modified music forever. Here's how...
The Start of Electrical Guitar
The electric guitar as we understand it today has not truly been around all that long. There were early designs in the 1920's and 30's, and Gibson offered a available electric guitar in 1936. But none actually caught on in any large way.
Although you might find electrified guitars back then, they weren't that effective in a band setting because they were based on hollow-body arch top guitars. If you attempted to turn them up they inclined to feed back and make a hollering noise. That's the reason why they were for the most part utilized for rhythm and rarely may be loud enough to take leads in a large band setting.
And early guitars had an uneven sound with some strings being louder than others. In general, the electric guitar was not ready for prime time. And it actually was not prepared for Rock and Roll.
Leo Fender changed all that.
Leo Fender was the inventor of the first commercially available solid body electrical guitar. With the solid body electric, players could ultimately turn the instrument up loud enough to chop through a complete band. Leo radically modified music, and the rock and roll of the 50's and 60's may not have occurred without him. It certainly would have sounded very different.
And the first solid body electric guitars were radically different than what had come before. They seemed like creatures from another planet compared against run-of-the-mill guitars of the time. Most guitars of the 30's and 40's looked like a typical acoustic guitar with a gigantic, hollow body and had a typical acoustic sound you'd be expecting. It was a beautiful sound but only acceptable for particular types of music.
When Leo Fender invented the Broadcaster guitar in 1951, which would soon be called a Telecaster due to trademark issues, it was totally different than the rest around. It was angled with a completely new shape and only about 2 inches deep with 2 specifically designed mics, called pickups, that caught the sound of the strings. It was light but really compact yet still had a solid piece of wood that resonated with a very, well, solid sound. It had been a complete paradigm shift from other guitars.
Inside a couple of years, Gibson Guitars popped up with their own solid-body guitar, the Les Paul. It was based on a discovery by jazz guitar player Les Paul who also had been working on a solid body electrical guitar personally. Some even say he was the 1st inventor of a solid body electric, and that may be true, but it was not largely popular till a bit later on.
Guitar Amplifiers Were A Big Factor Too
Although the guitar could now be played loudly it needed to be amplified. Many of those early guitar amplifiers came from Fender as well , but Gibson and others offered them as well. Many of those early amps are prized by collectors and guitarists for their unique and pleasing sounds.
And the amplifier itself had a big effect on the sound too. You can actually say the sound of the electrical guitar was a marriage between the guitar and the amp used. The amp changed the sound that was produced and when turned up loudly created a distortion that was quite pleasing to guitarists. Early blues guitarists and later rock and roll guitarist sought that unique sound. This sound was something that was wholly new to music and spawned that early blues and rock and roll sound we came to enjoy in the 1950's.
At last, players like Jimi Hendrix and Pete Townsend of The Who used this distortion to extraordinary levels to form the sound of the 60's and hallucinogenic music. Amps had gotten louder and the sound was more varied than previously. The 1960's really was the decade when the electrical guitar and amplification evolved to the point at which it still is today.
And it began with Leo Fender and his invention, the solid-body electrical guitar. Blues guitarists and rock and roll guitarists alike, owe it all to Leo.
About the Author:
Rick Honeyboy Hart is a long time blues guitarist. He's played in numerous bands over time and now helps others learn to play the blues guitar on his website www.BluesGuitarInsider.com
No comments:
Post a Comment